Hannah & Brendan 01.09.18

Nov 12, 2018

“When looking for wedding venues, I went in with a very particular vision, which was the opposite of Riverwood (Very formal) but when I arrived, I instantly felt at ease and could envision marrying my husband there.” said Hannah who recently celebrated her wedding day with Groom to be Brendan at Riverwood Weddings. Hannah continues to share with Scenic Rim Bride why they chose this stunning location to host their special day.

“My hubby was never thrilled about getting married, and the idea about a big formal day where all the focus was on us made him very uncomfortable. As I walked around Riverwood, I began to form a new vision. The more I saw of Riverwood’s amazing scenery, the more this vision progressed to the relaxed, fun and natural wedding it ended up being! I suppose for me, in the end it came down to the feeling. As soon as I walked around, I could feel that both my hubby and I would be happy and feel comfortable in the stunning spaces which takes centre in all the captured memories.”

Hannah was very hands on with her wedding day planning and preparations, so we asked Hannah if there was anything she would change looking back. This is what she had to say; “I did (with the help of my amazing bridesmaids) lots for the wedding, all the decorations, signs, as well as the flowers and the cake. In hindsight, the few days before the wedding were chaos as I had so much to do along with having family here from interstate wanting to see me and also making trips out to Riverwood and I do remember telling people straight after the wedding to NEVER do a DIY wedding… BUT I dont think I would change a thing! I loved every moment of the planning process and was so proud of the final result as I knew it had come from my own heart and it meant so much more! For people short on time, it is hard but in saying that I was also working full time, studying uni online and had hubby working away FIFO work. As long as you are enjoying the planning, I think do it! Planning ended up being my down time, what I did for fun!”

Read more below about Hannah & Brendan’s wedding day at Riverwood Weddings including a full list of their wedding suppliers. Enjoy! xo

Number of guests: 92 // Est. budget $18-20,000 // Honeymoon Destination: Japan for Christmas. We went to Melbourne straight after the wedding and stayed in one of the amazing art series hotels for three nights. Our Japan trip will consist of some travel around Tokyo and Kyoto before heading to the north island to Niseko for some snowboarding fun!

Q&A with Riverwood Weddings

Describe your day:

Our day was even better than I could have imagined. Seeing my vision come to life was something that is hard to explain, like everything we have worked so hard for finally falling into place. After nearly 10 years together, finally being married was emotional but so happy. As our families are so far away from each other, this was the first opportunity for them to meet and this was just so special, seeing all our loved ones finally meet and get along like they had always known each other! Everything about our day was even better than I could have imagined and I am still in awe at what we were able to create!

What was the feel and style of your wedding?

Relaxed boho party. We wanted everyone to be happy and just have a good time! With the live music, good drinks and food, we were able to create the relaxed atmosphere that put both our guests and ourselves at ease. Everyone was able to enjoy and have fun while celebrating our special day with us!

Favourite moment:

Walking down the isle and seeing the man of my dreams finally standing ready to marry me while also looking around and seeing all our loved ones looking on with pride and love!

Why Riverwood?

As soon as I began the walk around at my initial inspection at Riverwood I had the feeling of ease and excitement with the venue. With previous inspections at other locations, my vision for the day was confused and although I loved the idea of it all, I couldn’t see me actually marrying Brendan with that style or location. After walking around Riverwood, my entire vision for the day changed and morphed into what it was, the relaxed and fun day that was a perfect reflection of both of us as a couple. Being such a vast venue meant that we were able to have both ceremony and reception all in one location while also getting the, most amazing photos, all without ever leaving! This was something that I desperately wanted in a venue and Riverwood delivered in the most magnificent way!

Hints and Tips for other brides:

Finding vendors that do more than one thing minimised our communications which helped with the planning process. Being very busy while planning the wedding, working full time, studding at uni and having my future husband working away meant that any less communication to worry about was amazing. Jake and Andy were incredible, doing both the celebrant work and the live music and dj, all the guests were in awe that “the handsome man who married you is now playing a guitar!”
Bek, from the perfection project was amazing with all my requests for all out furniture hire and also, with the assistance of Candy, made me and my girls feel the like the most beautiful women around!

When planning your wedding, let it evolve naturally, don’t stress the vision you originally had and trust that everything will be amazing. Don’t stress the small stuff! Although everyone always says this, actually DO IT! It doesn’t matter if the colour isn’t EXACTLY as you planned, don’t worry if the candles aren’t in the right places, all that matters is that you are marrying that person of your dreams! Finally, just enjoy your day! Take little moments to just observe your amazing day and be with your amazing person! Take it all in, it will be over in a flash!

Congratulations Hannah & Brendan, we can feel the love just looking at your beautiful memories which will be cherished for a lifetime. Thank you for sharing your precious day with us! Scenic Rim Bride xo